Former King Gyanendra Demands National Unity to Make Nepal Prosperous on Democracy Day

Former King Gyanendra Shah, in his Democracy Day address, urged all Nepalis to unite to save the national identity of the nation and to make the country prosperous. He stressed that there was a need for unity to make Nepal prosperous and stable. The erstwhile king expressed concern that democracy has not been able to gain the people’s confidence and has not lived up to the promises of a good governance system. He re-emphasized that democracy is not slogans, but has to be implemented.

King Gyanendra also emphasized the need to protect the identity of all sections of society so that democracy would be able to stand its ground. He warned that self-interest politics and arrogance would only not strengthen democracy. He was deeply concerned with the current state of Nepal, for instance, the economic crisis, increasing overseas migration of Nepali workers, and national identity loss. He deplored the increasing debt burden on citizens and the declining business and education institutions in Nepal.